Torpedo and fusee container



Aug. 11, 1931. A. o. CRANDELL TORPEDO AND FUSEE CONTAINER Filed Dec.

leaving his hands free Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES isiaiev' ARTHUR 0. GRANDELL, OF NEWTON, KANSAS TORPEDO AND FUSEE CONTAINER invention relates to a container for a normally adequate supply of torpedoes and fusees for use by a railroad brakeman or flag yo man when necessary to give or provide proper signals as to train movement or operation and for purposes of protection against oncoming trains.

The invention has for its object the provi- M sion ofa container of simple construction and of such shape or contour that it may readily fit between the usual car vestible trap-door and the car wall when not in use, while at the same time being capable of carrying a sufliq cient number of both fusees and torpedoes for an entire run or trip between terminals under ordinary operating conditions.

Another object of the invention 15 to provide a container which is comparatively light in Weight, whose shape andsize 1s such that Y it may be conveniently earned by the tramman, while at the same time enabling 1t to be quickly and safely loaded or filled and also permitting the fusees to be easlly withdrawn, singly, without danger of in ury by the sharp points of the fusees.

My invention also has for 1ts ob ect the provision of a container whlch perm1ts the fusees to be separately and quickly withdrawn, as needed, without need for opening '30 a door or lid or the pulling out of slides; while at the same time providing means whereby the container may be suspended from the shoulder of the trainman and thus for other purposes.

The above enumerated objects and advantages of my invention, as well as other objects and advantages lnherent 1n the construction, will all be readily comprehended from the following detailed descriptlon of the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my lmproved container.

Figure 2 is an end view thereof. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the container.

Figure 4L is an end view of a modified form of the container.

Thespecific exemplification of the invention, as shown in the first three figures of the drawings, comprises a container or receptacle,

Application filed. December 6, 1930. Serial No. 500,513.

preferably made of sheet metal, having side walls 10, 10, top wall 11, bottom wall 12 and end walls 13 and 14.

The side walls 10 and the bottom 12 are preferably straight, while the top wall is preferably arcuate as shown, and these walls are all preferably formed from a single metal blank or sheet with the abutting ends thereof wetllded or otherwise suitably secured toge 161. j

The container is made comparatively narrow as shown in Figure 2 and of length, from end wall 13 to end wall 14, just suflicient to accommodate the usual standard type of fusees which are indicated at 15, so as to prevent undue endwise movement or shifting of the fusees, which are all horizontally disposed in the container as shown, with their opposite ends in close proximity to the container end walls.

The container at one of its lower end corners is cut away to provide an opening of size just sufiicient to expose the ends of the lowermost fusees, as shown at 16. That is to say, the end wall 14 terminates short of the plane of the bottom wall 12, which likewise terminates short of the plane of the end wall 14, while the side walls 10 at this point are cut away diagonally so as to fully expose the ends of the lowermost fusees and thus enable them to be easily seen and readily grasped by the brakeman or flagman without the necessity of having his hand come into contact with the sharp points of the fusees. v

The container, therefore, permits quick extraction of a fusee, without the danger of injury to the hand of the trainman, as, however, frequently occurs with fusee holders as heretofore employed. VJhile exposing the ends of the lower tier of fusees, the opening 16 is so arranged that the container is weatherproof in proper normal handling thereof, the walls of the container being so formed as to provide what might be termed an undercut opening 16.

The container, as illustrated, is of width sufficient to permit three fusees to rest on the bottom, and the other fusees arranged in superposed rows of three fusees as shown, with the ends of the lowermost row merely being exposed in a manner which permits each fusee of the lowermost row to be separately withdrawn.

It is apparent that as a fusee is withdrawn, a superposed fusee will drop into place so as to be properly positioned for en dwise withdrawal through the opening 16.

The opposite end of the container is pro vided with a supplemental chamber formed by the extended or added side walls 17, bottom wall 18, with an end wall 19, which walls also are of sheet metal or other suitable weather resisting material and all arranged to form a comparatively narrow compart ment 20 of greater vertical depth. This compartment 20 is intended for holding torpedoes of the kind used by railroads for signaling purposes. In view of the size of the torpedoes and the number employed in the usual train run under ordinary operating couditions, this compartment need not be of the depth of the fusee compartment, as the chamber 20 is adapted to carry from twelve to fifteen torpedoes.

The top of the chamber 20 is closed by a lid 21, which is preferably hingedly secured at 22 to the end wall 13 ot the carrier proper; and the side and end walls of the chamber 20 are cutaway in a sloping manner so that the lid 21 when in closed position slopes downwardly toward the free or unattached end thereof, thus providing a weather shedding top and closure for the torpedo chamber.

The free end of the lid or closure member 21 is shown held in closed position by the spring latch or hasp member 23, secured at its lower end 24 in any suitable manner to the end wall 19, with the upper free end bent into the right angular formation as shown, so that the intermediate portion of this angular formation will lap the free end of the lid 21 and hold it in closed position, the hasp being of somewhat resilient metal being surrounded by a guard strip or loop member 25.

It is apparent that the lid 21 may be quickly released by slight pressure on the upper end of the hasp 23, permitting the trainman to readily obtain one or more torpedoes, as occasion may require, and quickly slap the lid into closed position so as to protect the housed torpedoes and prevent their improper escape.

In order that the container may be readily carried from the shoulder of the trainman, I provide the opposite end walls 13 and 14 adjacent the upper end of the container with loops 26, 26 which are rigidly secured to the container walls in any suitable manner, as by welding.

These loops, in turn, are each provided with a ring 27 to which the ends of the straps 28, 28 are secured, with one strap provided with a suitable buckle as at while the other strap is provided with a number of suitably spaced holes to receive the tongue of the buckle and thus permit adjustment of the strap to suit the needs of each trainman.

In Figure 1 I show a modified form of the container, only so far as the bottom 30 thereof is concerned. That is, the bottom 30 in this form is made arcuate or rounded like the top wall, with the one end wall, the side walls and the bottom wall at one of the lower corners being cut away as previously described to provide the opening 31 similar to opening 16, through which the lowermost fusee may be withdrawn without danger of injury to the hand of the user, the fusees being horizontally arranged as in the former construction and superimposed.

The iusees in both constructions are constantly carried in a horizontal manner with the result that wear on the container from the sharp points of the fusees is avoided. At the same time, as is apparent, there are no doors or lids to open. or slides to operate, with the result that a tusee can be extracted without delay in a seconds ti me, a very important factor in the sate operation oil trains when the occasion arises.

My imprr'ivcd container as constructed is not only do able and can be manufactured at a comparatively small. cost, yet comparatively light in weight and at the same time weather-proof.

The structure prtivices a closed container which merely has the opening 16 at a lower corner thereot, through *hich the fusees are endwisely inserted by holding the container in an inverted manner, the fusees being preferably inserted as disclosed in Figure 3, thus ensuring proper protection for the hand of the trainman.

It is apparent from the construction shown and described that the container may be placed on the floor 01"? a car vestibule intermediate of the usual trap-door of the carplatform and the side wall of the car, with out interfering with the trap-door operation and therefore out of the way of the passage for the passengers.

I have described what I believe are the simplest and best embodiments of my invention, having described the same in terms employed merely as terms of description and not as terms of limitation, as structural modifications are possible and may be made with out, however, departing from; the spirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A container of the character described comprising two flat side and end walls and a top and a bottom wall all secured together in weather-proof relation and formed to provide a narrow chamber of greater vertical depth and of length just sufficient to hold fusees disposed lengthwise between the end walls, in superposed relation, one of the lower corners of the containers being formed with a diagonally cut-away port-ion to provide an opening through which the fusees are endwisely inserted and endwise withdrawal of the lowermost fusees permitted.

2. A container of the character described having integrally secured top, bottom, side and end walls arranged to provide a comparatively narrow container of greater vertical dimensions and of length suflicient to hold the fusees in a horizontal direction; the container at bottom and at one end being provided with an under-cut opening through which fusees are to be endwisely inserted and endwisely withdrawn.

3. A container of the character described consisting of side, end and bottom walls and an arcuate top wall, secured together in moisture-proof relation, the container being of length to hold fusees in horizontal direction; the sides and one end wall adjacent the bottom of the container being formed to provide an opening over-hung by said walls; and container carrying means secured at the upper end thereof.

a. A container of the character described having integrally secured top, bottom, side and end walls formed to provide a narrow container of greater vertical depth and length adapted to receive fus-ees endwise between the end walls so as to maintain them in a horizontal direction; one lower corner of the container being provided with an under-cut opening through which the fusees are endwisely inserted and withdrawn; the two side walls and the bottom at one end of the container being extended; a supplemental end wall portion secured to said extended side walls and bottom to provide a torpedo holding chamber; a moisture shedding top for said chamber; and means for holding said top in closed position.

5. A container of the character described formed to provide a fusee holding chamber of length to hold the -fusees lengthwise in a horizontal direction intermediate of the end walls; the container at one of its ends being provided with an under-cut opening through which the fusees are endwisely inserted and withdrawn; the container at one end being provided with a torpedo holding chamber open at the top a lid for said open top hingedly secured in place; and means whereby said lid is held in closed position.

6. A container of the character described having sides, top, bottom and end walls secured together in moisture shedding relation to form an elongated fusee holding container adapted to hold the fusees in a horizontal direction between the end walls, the container at bottom and one end being provided with a fusee inserting and withdrawing opening, the end and side walls being formed to over hang said opening in moisture shedding condition, a supplemental torpedo holding chamber at one end of the container beyond one end wall of the fusee chamber, said chamber be- ARTHUR O. ORANDELL. 

